A month or so back my virus protection popped up an alert that it stopped something from getting into my computer, but ever since then my search capabilities for Firefox seem not to function properly. Either pages won't load, or searches just don't complete, weird stuff.

I have a licensed copy of Avast Internet security and did a boot scan of the computer, but it did not find anything. Today I looked at the computer when it started up and my anti-virus is no longer working. When I try the "fix it" button, it doesn't work.. I continue to hit the button to schedule a boot-scan but the change doesn't get saved. When the computer restarts it doesn't scan. When I got back to windows, I tried again, and then close and opened the program again, the schedule doesn't change. The button should say "cancel" scheduled scan, but it doesn't. I just keeps asking if I want scan.

So I believe that something is in this computer that the virus scanner can not find....

So I had installed and scanned the computer with Malwarebytes after the virus warning last month, but decided to do it again today and this time it found something... Although firefox continues not to function properly.

I am currently following a procedure described by Avast to hopefully get the anti-virus up and running again. Un-install avast, install Visual C++ 2010, install avast again.

Just wanted to keep this thread updated. The virus scanner didn't help with the issue before it failed today. So I see this as a separate but related issue...